PORT TOWNSEND — The Ladies’ Chamber Orchestra and Benevolent Society, an ensemble now in its third year, will host its spring “Women in Music” concert at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The concert will be at the First Baptist Church, 1202 Lawrence St.
Admission will be by free-will donation and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
All proceeds will be donated to Dove House, a domestic-violence shelter in Port Townsend.
Every piece on the program will pay tribute to women who have made important contributions to the musical arts — either as composers and performers, or as inspiration for others’ compositions and traditional songs.
Of special interest are Sinfonias by Leonora Duarte and Francesco Maria Grimaldi, both highly-respected 17th-century musicians.
In addition, “Perotinian,” a piece for mixed ensemble by noted contemporary American recorder virtuoso Francis Blaker, will have its Port Townsend premiere. Other pieces on the program include Carolyn Peskin’s “Elegy” (1997) for recorders, a medley of traditional Scots tunes honoring women and “Sliabh no mBan” (“Mountain of the Women”), a traditional Irish ballad.
The special guest artist for this event is singer and songwriter Phina Pipia of Port Townsend.
The Ladies’ Chamber Orchestra and Benevolent Society is an ensemble of strings (violins, violas, cellos, and violas da gamba), recorders and keyboards (piano and harpsichord).
It was formed by Dahti Blanchard in 2016 to showcase the talent and expertise of women musicians in Port Townsend and vicinity.
